Heartland, The New Dragon in Town
by Moonstarslight
Summary: The universe has a strange way of handling fate. Throwing Yuuma through time seems to be its most recent idea. Now far from home Yuuma must stand and Kattobingu his way through many challenges. Hoping that one day he may return to those he loves. Though there will be things that shall make him slow down and find a reason to stay in the past. If he even has a choice.
1. Waking Somewhere New

Yosh! Finally this one is coming out! I had this idea for sometime and I already got three chapters written. Much better than some of my other stories that for sure.

Now this is an AU with Time Travel. Yes Yuuma is flying through time again. Though this time Yugioh Zexal and the original series shall be meeting. And yes Yuuma will be changing things as well be the reason his time even exists. In theory anyway. As for Yuuma's powers they will be explored some more in this story as well. Seeing without Astral Yuuma does not have access to ZEXAL, and I am convinced that Yuuma has powers he just doesn't use them often. Why? Well he could see Astral from Day 1, while no one else could. That is very telling right there. But it shall be explained more later.

Now I do not own anything but this idea. As fun as idea it is Yu-Gi-Oh is not having this canon nor being owned by me. I can still claim my idea anyway.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _ **Heartland, The New Dragon in Town**_

 _(Chapter 1)_

Waking Somewhere New

Red eyes blinked as they stared up into the sky above them. Something _really_ was not right. After all waking up in an open meadow instead of your hammock was not a good sign.

Sitting up Yuuma looked around him. He noticed that he seemed to be near a small village. Where exactly he did not know but seeing the stars above him it would be a bit difficult to find out. Stretching he stood up. Looking down he was surprised to see his regular outfit of white pants, blue tank-top, red vest, blue shoes, brown glove on his left hand, black elbow pad on his right arm, and his bracelet on his right wrist. The lack of the Emperor's Key was not as much a surprise seeing it disappeared after Astral left. Reaching for his Duel Gazer he thought back on how he got here.

In truth he did not remember. The last memory before waking up here was looking over his deck before crawling into his hammock.

Flipping open his gazer he tried the GPS. No connection.

Alright then, call home.

It ringed for a moment before cutting off into static.

Blinking he removed his gazer from his ear. What the heck? He fixed this thing last week! It is in perfect working order last he checked.

Scowling at it he folded it closed. No use trying to make that work at the moment. Letting his eyes wander over the closest settlement he felt his kattobingu flare for a moment before settling in his chest. Now was a good time to take a look on were he was.

Walking out of the field he felt something brush against his mind. Stopping he looked around. What was that? He hadn't felt something try to touch his mind in _years._

Red eyes looked around slowly before blinking and turning a darker red. Vast colors and forms came into view. Spirits flew around without a care. Normally Yuuma did not need to focus to see things most people couldn't but something was nagging him to look with his "Divine Sight" as his grandmother called it.

With this "Divine Sight" he could look into other people's hearts and minds finding out their true selves. It is how he understood that Vector was really Shingetsu deep down. It is also the reason to his ability to get through anyone when dueling is not enough.

It had a few other abilities but he was still learning them. After all it takes awhile to learn a gift. Especially if you did not use it often. But something tells him that he will be using it a lot more than he would like.

His eyes fell onto an older spirit glaring at him with pure black eyes.

Apparently he was not welcome. Slowly he turned and met the gaze of the spirit. His mind brushed the being's causing it to flinch.

Oh. It seems he fell through time. Removing himself from the spirit's mind he turned his gaze to the sky.

So he did not fall through space. He is standing where Heartland City will be in... Shoot he did not know how far he was in the past!

Sighing he closed his eyes. Time for last resort.

Darkness bubbled in his chest with glee before snapping out and creating a portal in front of him. How long has it been since he used this side of his powers? Memories of a time best forgotten flew forth from the back of his mind.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. Not the time. Now to see if he could get some answers. Stepping forward he let himself become wrapped in the darkness which would lead him to what he seeked.

* * *

Now I know Yuuma is associated with light and hope. Trust me this gets explained. As for the "Divine Sight" think of it a mix between Jaden's powers with Yubel, the Milliunum Eye, the Eye of Orichalcum, and ZEXAL. There are some other parts to it, but that will be shown later.

Now Forward! A New Chapter Awaits!


	2. The Shadow Realm

This one is longer and touches on some important details about Yuuma's past in this AU. It will be filled out more later.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _(Chapter 2)_

The Shadow Realm

Darkness gently brushed against his soul and curled protectively around the light within his heart. Ever since he could remember the Darkness has all ways been there. Stepping down he felt his feet touch stone. The Darkness lessened and he could see the paths and corridors which surrounded him.

When he first came to this place he was four years old and was scared out of his mind. He ended up crying so loudly that someone came and tried to see what was wrong.

Yuuma smiled as he remembered the Great Pharaoh. The first person he met in this dimension. He was the one who showed him the way home and introduced him to Gagaga Magician. He never could look at the monster the same after that trip. In his mind Gagaga Magician was a protector who did not follow him because of his father but for him as a person.

Walking forward he followed the small balls of light which formed around him and floated down the corridors.

His steps did not echo nor did any sound could be heard. It was silent and Yuuma could not help but feel worry creep on him. This place and silent did not go together. There was always some sort of sound in the background. But the Darkness did not have it normal gentle hum nor did the stone resonate with gleeful pulses. In fact everything was still. Too still. It made Yuuma's hair stand on end.

Wrapping his arms around him he looked around, hoping to see something that would make his worry fade.

Nothing came to his sight. Fear started to grow in his heart. Something was not right at all. Everything seemed dead.

Looking forward he stopped. All the balls of light had stopped floating and just a few paces away he could see the stone disappear into black shadows. Taking a deep breath he released himself and held his arms at his side. Positioning his feet, he tensed his body. Pushing off he ran into the shadows.

It was thick and wrapped maliciously around him. Air did not seem to want to come to his lungs. His limbs felt weighted down and slow. His heart was beating in his ears. His thoughts were scattered and would not form anything coherent.

Still he push on. He was going to find his answers no matter what.

Reaching forward his hand brushed against the shadows. With a bit of force his fingers pushed through them causing the shadows to break as he fell forward. Falling to his hands and knees he panted. Whatever that was, it was not nice, even now he could feel it shifting and about to reach for him. Getting up he took off in a dead run.

He had to find the circle. It was there he met the Great Pharaoh's friends: the King of Dark Justice and the Holder of the Red Dragon. It was also where he could get in contact with different creatures from this realm.

Balls of light formed around him once more and floated down the corridor moving faster than before. Soon a curve could be seen in the path. He was close!

The orbs flew out and hovered in different positions around the circle as Yuuma skidded to a halt. Catching his breath the teen looked around. The circle felt empty. Like no one has been there in years. _Many_ years in fact. Just how long ago are we talking about anyway?

Slowly releasing his breath, he walked to the pillar in the center of the circle. It came just a bit above his waist and was made out of stone. Looking down at the smooth surface he readied himself for news he most likely would not like.

Reaching for his cards he contemplated who to call. Rainbow Kuriboh was usually patient and willing to answer questions, but something about the stillness around him made Yuuma hesitate. So looking at his cards he pondered for a moment before sighing. It felt wrong to call out any of them. Besides seeing they fell through time with him they may not know what happen as much as he.

Swallowing he admitted that this needed the help of one who was not with him. And that this talk was going to be a bit harsher than he would like.

Putting his deck away he placed his left hand onto the pillar. Closing his eyes he focused on the being he wanted to summon.

He felt the stone warm slightly at his thoughts, before a chill ran down his spine. Looking up he met gazes with the monster he summoned.

Dark blue skin lightly glowed in the glow of the balls of light. Metal glinted, and red armor looked vicious. The broken doll in the being's arms stared at Yuuma with light blue eyes while the monster's deep red eyes bore down into his own.

"Dark Necrofear." To Yuuma's credit his voice did not waver nor did his trepidation at seeing his old ace monster bleed through.

The bald lady merely kept their gazes locked.

"Would you tell me when am I? And why this world feels so dead?"

Red eyes softened before the fiend nodded. Slowly she reached out with her right hand and placed it on Yuuma's head.

Blinking the teen felt knowledge fall into his mind, and he felt information flow out to her in response. Well she did need something in return.

Closing his eyes Yuuma shifted through the information Dark Necrofear gave him.

He was in the year 1995, and the reason why the Realm of Shadows felt so dead was the fact no one had solved the Millennium Puzzle. Causing the Realm to be sealed to all except the most vile of beings who had access to one of the other Items.

Yuuma shuttered as he felt Dark Necrofear's contempt for this vile being. Yeah he had a guess who that was. Only one being could be able to use the Darkness even when it was sealed away. He dared not think of its name in case it came to see him but to say the least it was troublesome.

Feeling Dark Necrofear's hand move from his head he looked up. Loneliness gripping his heart. He stopped using his fiends when his parents disappeared. Instead picking up his father's old deck, which really was missing some key components in order to be used properly. He had thought of picking up his old deck to battle Astral. But decided against it. It had been a long time since he used those cards. Astral did not even know he had them. However he wanted to give the alien a chance, so he used his Gagagas, Gogogos, Dododos, and Djins. A part of him regretted it however another part was proud that he beat Astral while using strategies the other knew about.

Still it did not remove the ache he had at the thought of the wrong he did to his friends. While he did not think they knew fear, he had to learn that at Duel Sanctuary after all, he knew that they were real beings. For the longest time they were his only friends besides Akari. Then Kotori became his friend and she became a friend to his fiends as well. He was actually halfway decent with his fiends, he just could not face XYZs that well so he lost a lot. But his friends never got mad, they even tried to help find a way to fight back.

Then he put them aside in his grief. He never really knew how much it hurt to do that until Astral came around and started to convince him to change his Dad's deck so it could work better. But he never had the courage to face them and see if they wanted to join him in battle once more.

Seeing his old ace made his heart ache. How had he missed her. She was his protector besides Kurivolt and Rainbow Kuriboh. Then Hope came. Number 39 was calm and protective but he always was more concerned about Astral. While Future Number 0 Emperor of the Future, Hope felt just as protective of Yuuma as Dark Necrofear was in the past. Hope stood by him and lent support as his family started to fall apart. He would never dream of leaving Hope, but as history shown he would in a heartbeat.

Tears fell and hit his hand. His body was shaking as guilt filled him. How badly he wanted to change what he done. To had continued with his fiends or at least had talked to them when he wasn't.

A hand gently landed on his head. Softly it ruffled his hair. Looking up he met the warm gaze of Dark Necrofear. Looking deep within in the red eyes of the monster he felt calmer. She did not blame him.

A smile tugged on the fiend's lips as she reached down and wiped his tears away. An echo of her thoughts resounded in his mind.

" _Why must you think such thoughts? You have always been our little master. We understood."_

Yuuma's breath caught in his throat. The ache of his heart lessened and the feeling of hope bloomed. Slowly he smiled at her only to receive a pick on his cheek.

 _"You really should have called me sooner, Little Master. You did not need my card or to be in the Circle of Kings to do so."_

Pouting Yuuma rubbed his cheek.

"Pardon me for not knowing."

Dark Necrofear smiled before placing her hand on his on top the pillar.

 _"You will not be alone here. While I cannot tell you how to return to your time, do know Little Master, we will fight along side you till the end."_

Yuuma smiled as he felt her strength flow into him. Followed by the others of his old deck, even the strength of those in his current one. No he was not alone. Even in this far off time he was not without those he loved and who loved him in return.

Meeting his monster's eyes, he smiled.

"Thank you Dark Necrofear."

The fiend smiled before floating away.

Slowly Yuuma removed his hand from the pillar. Before a desperate force slammed into him.

* * *

Dun! Dun!

Anyway, yes Little Man this is a different system than I normally do for the Shadow Realm. But for this story it shall do what I want. Don't worry some of the things from that system shall pop up. Just not the main one.

For everyone else: Yes the people I listed are the previous protagonists. More on that later. As for Yuuma having a hard time with his fiends against XYZs, well I am mixing anime card effects with real world. And Yuuma does not have Destiny Board. More of this fiend deck will be shown later. Besides I had fun with the thought.

Now Forward!


	3. Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon

Now to a part which helps explain the title. Not all of it mind you we have a while until the possible title drop.

Anyway enjoy!

* * *

 _(Chapter 3)_

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon

Gasping Yuuma gripped the side of the pillar. Whatever slammed into him was not letting go. Nor did it seem to care that he was about to collapse from the pressure it was putting him under.

He felt his monsters rise in response to what they were perceiving as a threat. Only for him to push the force back some and calm his friends. Taking a deep breath he turned and looked at what slammed into him and was still clinging on like he was the only stable thing in the world.

Red eyes widened as they fell on a dragon made of light and stone. Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. Kaito's partner. What was he doing here?

The dragon's strength wrapped around him with the feeling of fear and a deep sense of worry.

Meeting the dragon's eyes Yuuma slowly reached out with his "Divine Sight". What he saw made him flinch. The dragon did not understand what was going on. His master was missing and the only person around that he knew was Yuuma. He did not really know much about the human except he was the one who woke up his master's true potential.

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon lowered his head so he could look closer at the Human Who Carried Darkness and Light. He did not know any other humans who carried both sides of the world so well. He also never really met this being outside a duel as well. It was nice to see him without a fight to distract him.

Glowing blue eyes roamed over the little form he wrapped his energy around. On the outside the little human looked just like any other human. But on the _inside_ , that was a different story. Unlike his master who held his light close and his darkness far. This little human carefully wrapped his light in his darkness so both would survive and grow.

The little human also had a old form of darkness instead of the forms that he commonly saw. The same could be said for his light, though Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon did not really know how old that light really was. He just knew it was very rare and was protected by the ancient darkness. Unlike his master whose light was as newly formed as Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon himself, the little human's was there from the beginning. It was not that hard to see, even wrapped in the ancient original darkness. Speaking of darkness, he had only heard of the most ancient form of darkness from older monsters who whispered sadly about how they wished there were more humans who had the old blessings.

When he first met this human he thought it was just a new form of darkness. One possibly from another world like his light was. But when the little human stepped forward and showed signs which the older monsters called the old blessings he started to think differently.

The Astral being could not make Duel Monsters come to life outside a duel, but the little human could. The little human could bring the truth out of a person's heart just by dueling them.

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon could not help but be amazed by this human. Being a dragon he always respected the old and the strong. To meet and fight longside one of the oldest and strongest forces in the universe? It always seemed like such an honor that his master was considered friend and someone to protect by such a force. And in correlation Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon not only being worthy himself, but to have chosen such a partner.

But now he could only hope that this little human would still considered him worthy. His master was missing and everything felt decayed. The only living thing which felt safe was this little human.

Yuuma, hesitantly, let his light reach out to the dragon. He never let his light reach out to anything before, but darkness would not be a good choice to try to reach out to the dragon with.

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon relaxed and nuzzled Yuuma as it wrapped it energy around the teen's light. It growled low in its throat, as if it was trying to purr. Yuuma smiled and stroked the dragon's head.

"I don't know how you got here. But I will make sure that you return to Kaito, alright?"

Glowing blue eyes met red. Before the dragon wrapped its energy protectively around this little human. He would look after this little being even when he returned to his master. Thankfully his master would not disagree to that. Purring he nuzzled the human feeling a similar feeling he only got from being around his master.

* * *

More explanation on Yuuma's powers and why he has darkness while being associated with light. And yes Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon has a reason besides being info dump But that will come up later.

Now I hope the jumps between Yuuma's pov and GEPD's pov was not to bad. Personally I think it works but if you have a idea on how to make it flow better without using: "Yuuma pov" and "GEPD's pov" I would like to know. Thanks!


	4. Papers and Headaches

Alright I will explain the year thing at the end. Now I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _(Chapter 4)_

Papers and Headaches

Yuuma rubbed his temples. Just why did he fall 81 years into the past? Why not 37 years? Then he would have more to work with and less to forge. Sighing he looked down at the papers he needed to fill out. Heart Town did not have a high school, which he would need to go to given how he scored on the test he had to take. Really, people had lower standards in the past it seemed, wasn't it suppose to be the other way around?

Twirling his pen he thanked the gods that he was such a booknerd. While computers confused him if they weren't news or school sites, books were easy to get information from. If he did not spend so much of his time researching with them he would be floundering here. Well more than what he was doing any way.

Okay, an orphan from a small village near Kyoto. Easy enough, Heartland City was the closest city to Kyoto in his time besides Domino. Speaking of Domino that was where he had to move to so he could go to school. Thankfully Ms. Kira was grateful that he stopped those thieves from stealing from her store that he was able to work for her and save his money so he could buy the uniform. Though he had to ask for persimmon to work while at school.

Sighing Yuuma looked up at Stinging Swordsman who was calmly drinking tea on top of the stack of papers he had finished. Trust his monster to be able to have something to drink in the local library. After all no one but him could see the tiny man anyway. Shaking his head he finished the form he was on and subtly warned the warrior before putting it on the stack.

Stinging Swordsman jumped off the stack and stood in front of his work space for a moment before settling down and going back to his tea. Pouting slightly Yuuma went back to his forms.

Being a time traveler from the future did not make life simple. You had to make it seem as though you had existed before falling into the past. And boy, was that hard. It did not help that Japan did every thing by committee so there was going to be a while before anything was done properly.

A form to confirm citizenship. Another to say that yes, he was able to take care of himself. Papers of medical history. Etcetera etcetera. It was really tiresome and he was thanking the gods for his powers or this would not work as well as it would. A slight twist in reality on the papers, caused by Darkness would make his life a bit easier to live. Without the problem of being seen as an non-citizen with no rights.

Though he may have to take a nap soon. His eyes were straining and his head was starting to feel like a migraine was creeping on him. How he hated paperwork!

* * *

I have done some math to find out when the other series take place and Zexal, by the numbers I set, starts in 2076. I am setting the start of the Original series at 1996 as that is when the manga was released. I will place the numbers for everything up another time.

I hoped you enjoyed! There will be a bit of a time skip next chapter, and a bit of Yuuma's back story. So now forward!


	5. School

Bit of a time jump. It is now 1996! We get a bit of Yuuma's past and another part for the title reason. Though the possible title drop is long off.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _(Chapter 5)_

School

There were times Yuuma hated government protocol. It took too long for his papers to get the seal of approval so he was dealing with playing catch up on the first week of school work. Thank heaven he was given permission to work. Or he would be starving and without a roof over his head.

Smiling at the librarian he claimed a table and got to work on his homework and worksheets from last week. Good mercy if his friends could see him now. They would practically faint in shock. Well, besides Kotori and Tetsuo who both knew what he been through, and how he was still passing all his classes despite falling asleep in most of them.

A smile crept on his lips. He could not count how many times he had to give Tetsuo a idea on how to get an assignment done. Nor how many times he had to help Kotori find something in a book. While he hated studying, Yuuma did know the meaning of hard work. More so than most of his classmates.

When his parents disappeared time was hard for his family. Even more so when his parents were declared dead by the state. Akari had to work multiple jobs just to help keep everything afloat seeing _True Moon_ was not doing so well. Yuuma did what he could to help out. Selling cookies and sweets at the park and train-station not only helped his grandmother's restaurant but it helped him become better friends with Kotori and Tetsuo.

It was also around that time Tetsuo started up challenges for his Kattobingu. One thing he was really thankful for. Due to it, the bullying lessened seeing people got to get some of their fun at laughing at his expense. That meant he did not have to worry about adding something else to his sister's plate.

Scribbling down his answers, he shook his head. Not the time to recall the past. Well his past. Glancing down at his bag Yuuma hummed under his breath. He could have sworn he saw something move by it. Returning to his work he ignored it. After all if something tried to steal from him they would have a nasty surprise.

Putting up his finished work he pulled his bag to his shoulder and left the library, time to grab some food and head back to class. Stretching the went over his schedule in his head. He had work at 5 o'clock and school ended at 3:15. So he should have time to get some work done as well as some dinner.

Subconsciously stepping out of the way of another student he covered his mouth as he yawned. Time travel was a pain. Living on your own was even more so. Sighing he glanced out the window. The sun was shining through the clouds causing the school track to have splotches of light and shadow. Shaking his head the turned and continued his trek to the classroom. As lovely the past was he could not help but miss the bright colors of the future.

Opening the classroom door his mind ran over the information he had on how Heartland City changed from a small town to one of the best locations for technology in the world. Putting his bag on his desk, the answer floated forward.

Heartland Incorporate. It was the heart of the matter. No one really knew who started the company though it was known to have been the _friendly_ competitor to Kaiba Corporation for years. Which was odd seeing Kaiba Corporation was mercilessly competitive. It also was the inventor of many technological advances know world wide. The most famous were the D-Wheels and D-gazers.

The first was well known due to the popularity of Turbo Duels before the Red Dragon Crisis. While the second became the most common way to communicate in the modern world. Well besides cell phones. But even those have a hard competition with D-gazers and Heartland Duel Tech. Leaning back in his chair Yuuma let his mind fly over the method of creating Duel Tech. It was really not that hard. No matter what Akari said. He been fixing his gazer ever since he figured out how to open the thing properly.

He had to hold back a giggle as the memory of his sister dragging him to a professional Duel Gazer mechanic to get his gazer fixed. He apparently had modified so much that it was more like ancient versions of the D-Gazer that it was not able to be fixed by the pros. His sister gave up on stopping him from fixing his tech since then.

Unbidden the idea of starting Heartland Incorporate himself rushed forward. Sitting up straight he felt his eyes widen. Just what was he thinking?! He was from the future! There would be a horrifying time paradox if he did that!

But he did not know how the most recent tech was made. Nor did anyone know who started the company. Never mind just being in the past already caused a paradox.

Groaning Yuuma placed his head onto his desk. He will think more on that later. Lunch first.

* * *

Why yes I focus on the time travel mechanics a lot. It is a major part of the story after all. Never mind Yuuma has to think about these things.

Soon we shall see Yuugi and Kaiba! Next chapter shall start with the Yu-Gi-Oh manga and "Season 0" events. Oh poor Yuuma. I shall have fun with this!

Now Forward!


	6. Puzzle Holder

Okay. I had to add a lot into this. A reviewer brought to my attention that the chapters were short. While I knew this, I didn't fully realize how short the new ones were going to be until that was said.

Anyway, we get to see Yugi and Other Yugi in this chapter. However our dear time traveler isn't going to be talking to them. So sorry if you were hoping for that.

It'll happen. Just give it a while.

Warning! Some people being inappropriate to our Yuuma here. It is only in passing but I thought to warn you. He apparently is molestable.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _(Chapter 6)_

Puzzle Holder

Darkness surrounded him protective and gentle. It was something Yuuma was used to and wasn't surprised at. Though he really could do without it visiting him while he was at work. Smiling at the customer he took their order and went to get their drinks. Working at the small cafe was nothing big, but the owner was kind enough to let him work there. It did help Yuuma had some restaurant experience. Even if the guy didn't know that. He gave Yuuma the job because he liked him, for what reason Yuuma didn't know seeing they only spoke for a few minutes during the interview.

He didn't ponder much about it as he bustled tables and delivered orders both to the kitchen and the customers. He didn't really enjoy the job. But it helped pay for the bills, so he wasn't complaining.

But he could complain about the lack of sleep and perverts groping him. He was small and apparently cute. So many older men and a few women would reach out and touch a part of him that was closest whenever they could. It didn't happen all that much, especially seeing his boss would get those customers thrown out if he caught them. Though there were nights Yuma would come home with a sore bum or aching hips because someone grabbed too hard. It was annoying when that happened.

Tonight he was felt up by an man and was offered to join him in a hotel. To say the least the only reason Yuuma's boss didn't call the cops was the fact the man was drunk off his rear.

The teen sighed as he opened his apartment door. Thank goodness he was finally home. Wobbling out of his shoes he shut and locked his door. Bed was calling. Dropping his bag on the other side of the room he stumbled to the closet. Dragging out his futon he tossed it onto the floor. Not bothering with getting changed he laid down and fell asleep.

Red eyes looked around. He could have sworn he was in his bed a moment ago. Oh please don't tell him he fell through time again!

But he wasn't laying down looking at the sky. He was at school. Looking down at himself he blinked at the clothing he wore. When did he get a black and purple kimono? Lifting his arms he stared at the sleeves.

Scratch that. When did he get a black and purple _woman's_ kimono?!

Groaning Yuuma put his head into hands. He was _so_ grateful that his sister wasn't here. She would be demanding pictures and would be showing all his friends. All the while gushing how cute her little brother was in a traditional kimono. She wouldn't care that it was for the wrong gender. Seeing she had wore many male clothes before.

Truthfully Yuuma did really care too much about wearing female clothes. He wore his sister's hand-me-downs after all. He just got embarrassed when his friends found out. He didn't really like anyone outside his family knowing. Kotori was the one exception.

Really he was blaming Tetsuo for being embarrassed about it. The other boy would pick on him whenever Yuuma wore something more feminine. Often asking if Kotori had corrupted him. At the time Yuuma was heavily influenced by the need to keep his friends at any cost. So he wouldn't let Tetsuo or anyone who wasn't family know he wore female clothes.

That changed slightly over time, seeing his friendship with the Machine user had gotten stronger. But the habit was hard to break. He was working on it before the time travel. And now he didn't even had any female clothes to his name. Just his one casual outfit he arrived in, one oversized t-shirt he has been using as pajamas, and his school and work uniforms.

Oh. And apparently a female kimono.

Sighing he peeked out of his fingers. Was that footsteps he heard?

Listening closely he recognized that yes that was. Dropping his hands from his face he turned around to look at the school gates. A teen around his height with multicolored hair walked trough them. A golden ornament hung around his neck. Yuuma took a step back at the sight of the Millennium Puzzle. Darkness jumped in glee around him. His light within his heart sparked and reached out without his consent.

Freaking Yuuma forced his darkness and light back into his heart. Turning around he ran. Darkness wrapped around him and the next thing he knew he was among corridors of stone.

Shaking he collapsed to his knees. Red eyes wide and wild he released his hold on his inner pieces.

Light and darkness swirled happily around within him. Stone under him pulsed with life. Darkness wrapped itself carefully around him, humming softly.

The puzzle had been solved. The resealment of Zorc had begun.

Forcing himself to his feet, Yuuma took a few deep breaths. He needed to stay out of this the best he could. This wasn't his fight.

He was done with his fate. He defeated Don Thousand and ended the Numbers War. He defeated Astral and prevented the Numberon Code from being used to destroy the Barian World.

The Emperor's Key was long gone. He finished his task set to him by fate. He was able to make his own story now.

Or he was before falling back in time. Now he was trapped by what history had written.

Tears fell down his cheeks. Frustrated, he clenched his fists. He just wanted to be himself and live his life. He didn't want to be trapped by the responsibility of keeping time in check.

He wanted to go home.

Back where his older sister and grandmother were. Where is friends were.

He wanted to hear whatever his sister found to be a potential big scoop. Wanted to hear what Gran-gran had planned for dinner. To hear what Kotori read last night. What Tetsuo wanted to do that day as a Kattobingu challenge. What was going in his classes seeing he been gone for almost a year.

He wanted to bake in the kitchen with his grandmother. He wanted to run to the school's library because Akari found out something big and she needed something checked before following the lead. He wanted to go shopping with Kotori and deal with her oohing over all the clothes while being dragged away from the books and games stores. He wanted to build something with Tetsuo out of scrap they found laying around.

He wanted to see what was going on with Takashi and Tokunnosuke. He wanted to see if Cathy got any more feline friends. He wanted to see if the Arclights figured out the paperwork for Tron to be considered a citizen of Heartland yet. He wanted to see if Haruto was enjoying school and if Kaito got into the collage he was applying to.

Looking up to the black covered sky he felt his tears fall onto his kimono. Darkness wrapped around him. Its hold soft and protective.

It was one of the few things he had left. Besides the friends who were in his deck when he arrived, the Darkness was one of his only constants from the future.

A sob broke out of his throat. Wrapping his arms around him he let the Darkness drag him away.

Red eyes snapped open to look at the cracked ceiling above. Yuuma slowly panted before reaching up to his face.

Feeling wetness he rubbed at his eyes. He didn't want to be soaked in his own tears. Taking a deep breath he rolled over and went back to sleep. Hoping not to see more about the shadows in his dreams.

The morning was as hectic as normal. Wake up rush to get changed. Grab a very meager breakfast and some money for buying some bread at school for lunch. Stanch up school bag and pull on shoes as keys were fumbled with, before rushing out the door. Locking said door before running down the stairs in order to get to school.

Run down the sidewalk for a few blocks, make a turn, before dashing as fast as you can down the alley, jump the wall land on the other side and run a few blocks before slowing to a walk. The school gates where just ahead.

Yuuma stretched as he walked into school. He stopped to stare at the large crowd in front of the school building. Just what was going on? Pushing his way forward he ended up staring at the sight before him. Ushio, one of the hall monitors, was in a pile of leaves and trash proclaiming them to be money. Blinking, Yuuma shook his head before leaving to go to his classroom.

Once he was close his eyes caught sight of a multicolored haired kid around his height. He was calling out to another student about their missing shoe.

Yuuma's eyes widened at the ornament around the boy's neck. Gleaming gold on a leather strap. Large and in the shape of a reversed pyramid with the Wydjet eye engraved on it.

Taking a step back he recalled what happened last night. Apparently he was going to have a harder time staying out of this than he wanted.

* * *

Hooh! Had to check how to spell some of his friends names. Anyway before you declare that this is a bit late for these thoughts. Yuuma had these thoughts before. We just didn't see them thanks to time jump. He also has been very busy so hadn't had the time really to feel homesick.

Now to fight with the other chapters and other stories. _**To Be Strong. To Smile Through Out All.**_ is currently having my near full attention given it wants a really long chapter 2. Already over 13 pages in my document and it's still not done. Never mind I have to fight with the next chapter of this story to make it a proper length and flow correctly.

*sighs*

I have a lot to do till we reach the end. Because at long last I know how exactly this will end. I just don't know everything in between here and there. So I shall fight to reach it!

So Forward!


	7. For Lying Eyes

Okay here you go. I should say this now, if you never read the manga or watched "Season Zero" you may be a little confused by the chapters which are coming up. I will not be going into detail about which happened in the original material. You can read the manga online if you know where to look. As for "Season Zero" it might be out there. I have it downloaded onto my computer, and that was a long time ago so I can't tell you where. Sorry.

I will be only describing what is going on with Yuuma as he is the protagonist for this story. Anyway, we have the Yuugi and Yuuma interaction! To my surprise I was expecting it to happen later. Oh well, where ever the story goes.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _(Chapter 7)_

For Lying Eyes

Yuuma stared at his classmates as they bickered about why the TV van was in front of the school. To his embarrassment when he first saw the van he was excited. They were going to the on film! Then he remembered himself. He could not be seen on TV. At least not yet, he needed someway to make sure his name and appearance was not recognized years to come. After all he was a time traveler. And if he was to follow with the wild thought which still floated in his mind on occasion, then to make sure that no one knows who started Heartland Incorporate, he had to stay out of the media's view.

Which was harder to do than said. Or in this case thought. Because if you are part of a major company in the world, the media will do anything write about you.

Sighing he looked out the window. He knew media to be fickle, thanks to his sister being a reporter. He had lost count how many times he had to help his sister find a scoop, or info on a scoop. The number of how much info he found that was discarded was too high for him to even _try_ to recall.

It doesn't help that something seemed fishy about the whole thing. Great now he was hungry. Good thing he had salmon rice balls for lunch. Mind you not the best salmon given his budget, but it was fish.

Yawning, Yuuma put his head on his desk. He barely got any sleep last night. He ended up having to get a new job along with the one he had at the Cafe. So he was up early to put up flyers around town. He got some good pay from doing it so he couldn't really complain. But seeing he had to be up by four in the morning to do it and his sift at the Cafe ended at 10, he barely had time to get any sleep under his ear. Oh well, looks like he will be sleeping in some of his classes today.

Red eyes closed and the boy hardly stirred when the bell rang. The sound of the class standing caused him to open his eyes. Blinking he forced himself to stand and bow with the class before sitting back down and listened to the roll call. When his name was called he gave a tired "Here." before setting his head back down. He wished for hot chocolate or his sister's special tea which could keep her up all night. It would help a good deal right now.

Yuuma ended up sleeping through his first class, and nearly slept through the second if the girl who sat in front of him didn't wake him up. He was groggy when he thanked her, and was out of it when the teacher started talking math.

The numbers went over his head even when he wasn't half asleep. Mr. Kitano was the only one who seemed to be able to explain in it in a way Yuuma could understand. Feeling his heart ache at the reminder of home, the thirteen year old looked out the window. It was a pretty day. And was that a film crew walking towards the gym?

Blinking, Yuuma tilted his head. Oh yeah, there was a T.V. Van out front. Just what were they here to film anyway? There wasn't anything really special about Domino Highschool.

Shaking his head he returned his attention to the teacher. As long as he didn't get caught on film it was fine.

His classes ended up as a blur to his tired brain. By the time he finally got back online, it was recess. Stretching he stood from his chair. He really needed to move.

The red and black haired boy walked out of the classroom and walked to the direction of the restroom. Hopefully some water on his face would help with the left over sleepiness.

He nearly ended up colliding with someone.

"Oh, sorry." Stepping back, Yuuma couldn't help but partly freeze at the sight of the teen who solved the Millennium Puzzle. Said boy merely laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"No. No. It's my fault. I was the one in a hurry."

Yuuma couldn't help but feel a bit calmer. His inner darkness surged forward in glee along with his light. As scary as it was, something about the teen before him made him feel safer. That everything that was going to be alright.

Laughing, Yuuma smiled.

"Let's just say both are at fault for not paying attention. What are you in a hurry for anyway?"

Violet eyes sparked with excitement.

"I am to meet the Star who goes to our school!"

Red eyes blinked. A Star? At their school?

"Oh? Where would you be meeting this Star seeing they no doubt want it quiet?"

The multicolored haired teen gave a sheepish smile.

"Behind the gym. But I was told to come alone."

Alarms rang in Yuuma's head. The film crew went in the direction of the gym earlier. And if he was told to come alone...

"Are you sure you should go? It doesn't sound like something which you should be going to without at least telling a friend."

The older teen looked a little surprised, before laughing it off.

"I told you. Besides it should be fine, Fujita-san seemed like a nice person."

Yuuma knew how that was. After all there were many times he went to meet someone because he _felt_ that deep down they were nice. But people had many levels to them. Biting his bottom lip, Yuuma glanced down the hall. No one was around thank goodness. Turning back to the older teen, he smiled.

"Well, you can't go without a present at the very least."

Putting his hands behind his back, he closed his eyes. Focusing on his Darkness, he summoned a small bundle of flowers. The harsh feeling of Darkness forcing itself out of him into a form he wanted nearly made him hiss with pain. He never liked doing this. But still, when it was done it was for a good reason. Besides, there was more to this than a bunch of flowers.

Opening his eyes, he brought the flowers from behind his back and presented it to the violet eyed teen.

Said teen could only stare before looking at Yuuma with wonder in his eyes.

"You're some kind of magician?"

Yuuma laughed as he shook his head.

"Not at all. But here."

He put the flowers in the older male's hands, before standing back and winking.

"Just in case something happens."

Violet eyes blinked before the teen smiled.

"Thanks. Oh! I'm Yuugi. Yuugi Motou."

The time traveler couldn't help but feel a little surprised at the name. The King of Games. Well to be at the moment, but the King of Games no less.

Brushing it aside he smiled.

"Nice to meet you Motou-san. I'm Yuuma Tsukumo."

Yuugi seemed to pause at his name before smiling.

"It nice to meet you too. Tsukumo-san."

Yuuma couldn't hold back a shiver at the way the older teen said that. Even though the Millennium Puzzle held most of the Darkness around him, something just as powerful was talking with him at that moment. What Yuuma did not know.

"Shouldn't you be going?"

Yuugi blinked before realization crossed his face.

"You're right! Sorry, but I have to go! See you later, Tsukumo-san!"

Yuuma could only laugh as he watched the older teen hurry down the hall. Well, besides whatever crept up to say hi, that was alright. He actually could see Yuugi becoming a good friend. Blinking at that thought, he firmed his will. No. He will not become friends. At least close friends. Just someone Yuugi could talk to on occasion, but not drag with him to any of the events which happened to cause him to save the world. Yuuma did say he was staying out of this as much as possible.

It wasn't long until he felt his spell activate. He was afraid of that. Thankfully a friend of Yuugi's should be rushing in to help. After all, the spell was to protect the person being attacked by bringing an ally to them.

And if he remembered his history correctly, Yuugi has some very dangerous friends to meet in a fist fight.

Giggling behind his hand, he returned to his seat. Well whoever got the wise idea to pick Yuugi for their nasty little plan was going to get it.

The feeling of Darkness screaming in outrage hit him like a train. Gasping Yuuma folded over his desk.

What the?

Closing his eyes he let his darkness reach out in response.

It was mad. It wanted judgment. Whatever happened to Yuugi ended up waking up whatever came up to greet Yuuma earlier.

Taking a breath he attempted to send a calming pulse of energy to the Darkness which demanded judgment. It apparently worked as it calmed somewhat.

However it wasn't until late at night did it properly calm down. Yuuma didn't know what to think about that. Whatever woke up was playful when it wasn't being mad. There was playful and teasing pulses which encouraged his Darkness to play in return.

To say the least it was distracting. He ended up locking his Darkness down before returning to work.

It only made things worse. Without his Darkness or light responding the Foreign Darkness got worried and was constantly pestering Yuuma. It calmed somewhat when Yuuma sent the equivalent of a "Back off!"

However once it was done doing Judgment, it came back in full swing. Playful and teasing to the point Yuuma was a little worried about its intentions. Especially when it wrapped itself around his heart when he was laying down to sleep around 11.

To say the least he freaked. It pulled back, startled at his actions. He felt an inquiry which his response to was not exactly polite. Putting up a shield around his heart and mind, he curled up under his covers for the very little sleep he was to get.

The Foreign Darkness basically pawed at his shield. Ignoring it Yuuma dragged himself into the realm of sleep.

He will deal with it later. Sleep now.

* * *

*Laughs* So I had fun with the last bit. So can you guess who came up to say "Hi."? Should be easy as there isn't many suspects.

Darn me for using the Japanese spelling and names! I kept using "Yugi" versus "Yuugi" and that shouldn't be ignored. Seeing I am using "Yuuma" and not "Yuma."

As for who Mr. Kitano is: he was Yuuma's homeroom and math teacher. The one who got possessed by a number and created a virus. Ukyo Kitano or in English: Mr. Kay.

Now I might be combining the next two manga chapters and finally use parts from "SZ". I have to see how it writes.

So Forward!


End file.
